Thermal Images Of North Korea Nuclear Plant Hold Disturbing News

North Korea may have more fuel for nuclear bombs than previously believed, according to a US think tank. The new report from 38 North analyzed thermal satellite images of the Yongbyon nuclear plant, the country’s main nuclear site, and found that Pyongyang may have reprocessed more plutonium than previously thought; the images also indicated that Yongbyon could be increasing production of enriched uranium, another source of fuel for atomic bombs, though it’s not clear whether the thermal activity there was due to maintenance or actual centrifuge operations.

The images also showed the plant’s isotope/tritium production facility is likely not producing tritium, which is used for hydrogen weapons. U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has been seeking to overcome resistance from China and Russia to a U.N. Security Council resolution imposing stiffer international sanctions on Pyongyang. Experts at 38 North estimated in April that North Korea could have as many as 20 nuclear bombs and could produce one more each month.